More than 20,000 people in Linn County have tested positive for COVID-19 since March 2020

More than 20,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Linn County since the novel coronavirus arrived in Iowa in March 2020.

Linn County reported 33 new COVID-19 cases in the 24-hour period ending at 11 a.m. Wednesday, bringing the total number of cases to 20,031.

The county’s seven day average is 23.

Johnson County

Johnson County added 35 new cases as 11 a.m. Wednesday, bringing its total to 13,733. The county’s seven-day average is 27.

The new numbers come as the Iowa City Community School District reported Wednesday morning that more than 600 students are in quarantine and 11 classrooms are closed due to exposure to the coronavirus.

Of those students, 127 are currently positive for COVID-19. Five staff have also tested positive and 16 are in quarantine.

The largest number of students in quarantine is at Northwest Junior High where 253 students are in quarantine and less than 10 have tested positive.

New cases

Statewide, Iowa on Wednesday reported 759 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of infections since last March to 354,660 cases, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health.

The cases were identified in 18,733 tests, for a 4.03 percent positivity rate.

The state’s seven-day average for new cases is 546.

Of Wednesday’s new cases, 124 were found in youths under age 18, bringing the total number of minors in the state who have tested positive for COVID-19 to 41,026 since March 2020.

Deaths

The state reported one new, confirmed death Wednesday.

The death occurred on March 10 in Kossuth County. The individual was over the age of 80.

As of Wednesday, the statewide death toll was 5,836. Thirty-nine percent of those deaths — 2,283 — were in Iowa’s long-term care facilities.

Vaccinations

As of Wednesday afternoon, 664,463 Iowans are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, an increase of more than 16,000 from Tuesday.

That’s 21.06 percent of all Iowans and 26.47 percent of all Iowans over age 16.

Counting non-Iowans vaccinated in the state, 692,021 people are fully vaccinated

As of Wednesday, 1,707,446 total vaccine doses have been administered in Iowa, with 1,644,316 doses going to Iowans.

In Linn County, 124,991 doses have been administered — an increase of more than 2,300 since Tuesday. To date, 50,197 people — or 27.82 percent of the county’s adult population — are fully vaccinated.

In Johnson County, 100,264 doses have been administered — an increase of more than 3,100 since Tuesday. To date, 40,546 county residents are fully vaccinated, or 32.62 percent of the county’s adult population.

Hospitalizations

Across the state, 216 individuals were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Wednesday, a slight dip from the 217 patients reported Tuesday.

Patients in intensive care decreased from 52 to 44, and patients on ventilators dipped from 27 to 24.

Long-term care

Two long-term care facilities in Iowa continue to report COVID-19 outbreaks — three or more cases among residents and staff — with 20 individuals ill.

Comments: (319) 398-8238; kat.russell@thegazette.com

John McGlothlen of The Gazette contributed to this story.